I’ve never really listened to the words of Christmas carols before. I’ve heard them, I know most of them by heart, but for some reason up until this year none of them have ever really struck a cord with me before. Then I think I figured it out. I was listening to Kevin Max sing out O Little Town of Bethlehem and one of the phrases in the songs jumped out of my iPod and smacked me across the face:

“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

I believe there are two components involved with making this one statement actually mean something to you. First and most prominent, you have to understand the reason for the birth of Jesus. I “get” this. I’ve been taught this reason all my life. Though it is no less powerful today that it was 2007 years ago, simply by repetitive saturation throughout my 27 years, this alone doesn’t stir immediate reactions within me.

The second component is so obvious, so necessary, yet so easy to coast over. For this statement to have impact you have to have “Hopes and Fears”. Up until these past few years I don’t think I’ve every really had things weigh so heavy on my heart. Oh sure I thought I did, but in reality I had no ideal what it meant to hope and fear in the same breath.

I really love this time of year.